He’s pinning his hopes on you all

And finally, an appeal to the Diary’s fans. We may just have found the marketer of the future. Richard Stewart, a 15-year-old from Northern Ireland, has written in to Marketing Week asking for help in his quest to collect branded lapel badges.

Richard, in his own words, is “absolutely mad” about old and modern pin badges, and success with his hobby “depends on people like the Diary and its readers”.

Cheekily, Richard has asked us to furnish him with badges from the Dome, TGI Friday’s and Swatch.

Sadly, the MW office is not overrun with people who have marketing as a hobby as well as their work. So, come on Whitbread, Pierre Yves-Gerbeau and Swatch Group – send in those badges and make a schoolboy’s day! And anyone else for that matter.